First Time Angel
by C.Halliwell
Summary: Chris gets assigned his first charge, a mysterious girl named Allison at his high school. Can he bring her to reveal her life changing secret? And if she does, what will the consequences be?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Chris sat at the back of his history class, staring out the window, watching the clouds float gently past. Sometimes he wished he could just orb right out of his school and leave everything and everyone behind, dedicate his life to saving people and kicking some demon ass. But there were too many reasons to stay. As his mom and dad had told him often enough, he needed to be able to support himself and still have some form of a normal life until he graduated and could do as he liked. After all, being a guardian angel didn't exactly pay a salary.

He glanced at the front of his class to check that Mr Grant was still talking about the topic they were on. Chris scribbled down a couple of lines and glanced up at Allison sitting in front of him. Well, Allison's back anyway. Allison Green was another the main reason Chris stayed in high school. He'd fallen for her the moment he met her and she didn't even know. His heart skipped a beat whenever she spoke to him, but she was way out of his league. To everyone in the room, he was just Chris Halliwell, Wyatt's little brother who kept himself to himself. He seemed to be Wyatt's polar opposite socially - unpopular (by choice), preferred staying in doors than participating in sports, and quiet. Wyatt had finished school a year previously, but he'd something of a legend, leaving Chris to struggle on in his shadow. It was partly because of this that Chris felt so un-nerved around popular people like Allison. People could never know the real him, so he saw little point in making close friends because it would always reach the point where they'd ask questions he couldn't answer, and not by choice. It was safer for everyone that way. So that was how Chris lived, as the school outcast. But hell, even his little sister Melinda had a circle of friends. Sometimes he couldn't help but envy his siblings.

The bell rang and everyone bolted to get home. Chris gathered his things slowly as the room emptied. His stuff packed, he sat on his desk for a moment and sighed. A noise behind him made him jump. That was another thing about Chris: he was a little bit paranoid. Ready to face something demonic, perhaps huge and hairy, Chris wheeled around, only to freeze in a fleeting moment of shock. Allison stood a couple of meters away, looking like her usual amazing self - her dark hair gracefully swept over her shoulders; her magnificent eyes glistened in the daylight. Her clothes looked perfect, and yet gave off the impression that she didn't try too hard, like anything would look good on her. She wore deep blue jeans, with a patterned t-shirt, finished with a casual jacket. He felt scruffy in comparison, in his old jeans and a hand me down shirt of Wyatt's.

"Hi," he finally said, breaking the silence. He cleared his throat. "What are you doing here still?"

Allison glance down at her feet quickly, and looked back up to face him. "Mr Grant said he'd give me back my essay he's marked early… I nearly forgot it, and didn't ask him for it before he left. You?"

Chris searched his mind frantically for an excuse, but his mind had drawn a blank - a regular effect of Allison being in the room with him. He shrugged, feeling out of his depth. Kind of ironic, he thought bitterly. "I was just about to go," he managed to say. Before he could stop himself he offered: "Can I walk you to the bus?"

Allison hesitated. "Actually," she said, tucking her work from the teacher's desk into her bag, "I have to run to the store, and catch another bus by four to get back home, so I'd better run if I'm gonna make it. Raincheck?"

Chris managed a smile to hide his disappointment. "Sure." With that she was gone, and once again he was alone in the empty classroom. "Smooth, Chris, real smooth." he muttered to himself, swinging his bag over his shoulder. He heard a familiar jingling in his head that meant the Elders were calling for his presence. A moment later, all that remained in the classroom were fading white particles which within a second dissipated into nothingness, leaving no sign that Chris Halliwell had ever been there.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Later that evening Chris orbed into his bedroom, dropping his bag to the floor with a thud. Collapsing onto his bed, he stared up at the ceiling, lost in thought. His head was reeling from what the Elders had told him. He distantly heard footsteps approaching his room, followed by a gentle knocking on the door. "Chris?" Came the sound of Piper Halliwell's voice. "Did I hear you come in?"

"Yeah Mom, I'm back." Chris replied wearily.

The door opened and his mother poked her head in. "I just wanted to let you know dinner will be ready in about half an hour. Did you just get in? What's wrong?" she asked, seeing the look on her son's face.

Chris sat up, grateful Piper could always tell when something was bothering him. He gestured for her to come in and sit down, where she sat opposite him on his desk chair. "It's the Elder's," he told her. "They've just assigned me my first charge as a Whitelighter."

Piper paused. "But…that's a good thing? Isn't it? You've been looking forward to this."

"It's not that…" Chris continued, meeting his mother's warm and concerned gaze. "They thought they were being helpful by giving me a future Whitelighter I'd know at my school. You know, so it would be easy to keep an eye on them without being suspicious."

"So, what's the problem?" Piper asked.

"My new charge…is Allison."

"Ooh…" Chris had already told his mother honestly about his feelings for Allison - one of the benefits of living in such a close knit family…where nothing stayed secret for long, however hard anyone tried, with truth spells and the sort being cast every other week by his younger relatives. "I see. Did you tell them the truth?"

Chris shook his head and put his head in his hands. "I don't wanna screw up the first time I get responsibility. I need to prove that I can do this…I _want_ to do this. But whenever she's near me I can't think straight. I get butterflies; I can't even string a sentence together! How on earth could I ever focus enough to protect her and save her life if I can't even talk to her?"

Piper reached out and took her son's hand, remembering when before Chris was born, just over seventeen years ago, Chris aged 22 came into their lives and risked his life to come back in time and save the future. "Chris…I know with every fibre in my being you're capable of this. You've never let me down, you've never let this family down when we depended on you. They wouldn't have given you her as a charge unless they knew you could do this. Just don't give up. If you need to, try talking to your dad about it. He kind of knows what you're going through."

Chris looked up into his aging mother's face. "Thanks, mom." He told her, squeezing her hand. Piper stood up with a warm smile and left him to his thoughts, closing the door quietly behind her. He promptly decided to take his mother's advice and sought out his father, finding him in his study, which was converted from the old nursery in his parents' bedroom. He was marking dozens of exam papers from Magic School. Chris knocked, and Leo looked up and placed his pen down. Seeing his son, his face broke into a grin, relieved to have a break from his work. "Hey buddy! What's up?"

"Sorry to interrupt…but can I talk to you for a minute Dad?"

Leo gestured at the chair opposite his desk, "Go ahead."

"The Elders assigned me a charge," Chris began.

"They did? Wow, I'm proud of you buddy!"

Chris couldn't help smiling, happy to hear these words. "Thanks…but the thing is, I know her… and I'm kind of crazy about her. I don't know what to do. Mom pointed me in your direction. How big of a problem was it when you first met mom? Not with the Elders I mean, but personally?"

Leo sighed, part of him wishing he'd never have to have this conversation. "Well…if anything, it helped. It gives you determination to keep them safe from harm."

"At the beginning, when she didn't know who you really were…was it hard? Hiding a part of yourself?"

Leo felt for his son. "It was easier once the sisters knew who I was," he smiled. "That's for sure. Secrets just complicate things."

Chris sighed. "But with this girl…Allison, I find it hard to be her friend as it is. I mean she's enigmatic, quiet, and yet everyone knows her name. She's not exactly known for being the most open of people either," Chris admitted.

Leo thought for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "Maybe…letting her know who you are, might just help build a bond. She might take a risk and let you in too. Don't let your emotions stop you from doing your job though. Use them instead to help guide her. Burying how you feel never helped anybody. And you can't help who you fall for, remember that. But also remember you're a Whitelighter first now."

"So…I should tell her the truth about me?" Chris asked sceptically.

"Well, if she's 'enigmatic' as you say, there's probably a reason for that. Try and find out what it is. Build the trust. And from there, just be the best Whitelighter you can be."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Chris didn't know how to act around Allison the next day. To her, nothing had changed. But she was now his responsibility. And to protect her meant he had to try and get close to her.

He sat there in the library that lunchtime, watching her study out of the corner of his eye, wondering if he should approach. She was alone, and that had to be better than in a group. Bracing himself, coming up with a story, Chris stood up from where he sat and gingerly approached Allison's table where she sat surrounded by piles of books, avidly taking notes. "Hey," he greeted her.

"Hi," she replied, looking up from her notes. "What's up?"

"I was wondering…" Chris began. "Have you started Mr Williams' questions? Only I was struggling, and you seem the best person to ask."

"Actually, I was just about to start them," she said. "Care to join me?" gesturing to the seat opposite from her.

"Please. I'll just grab my stuff." Chris started back to his own table, and it dawned on his he had little or no idea of what he was doing. How on earth was studying with the girl going to help anything? The lunch hour passed slowly but steadily, but to Chris's surprise, Allison asked if his offer was still open to take a walk. He nodded, and when she said she was planning on walking home, which was on the other side of town, out of Chris' way, Chris told her it was fine. "So…I guess I'll see you after school?" she asked with a small smile as the bell rang, marking the end of their session. "Absolutely," he smiled back.

The walk to Allison's house was a long one, and at first it was difficult to strike up conversation. Or at least, harder than Chris had originally anticipated. Chris decided to take a wild stab in the dark to help give their conversation a nudge in the right direction to avoid an awkward silence. He looked up at the sky as they walked slowly together, side by side. "Don't you sometimes wish you could go up there in the clouds and just…escape?" he asked with a sigh, and the waited with baited breath for Allison's reply.

"All the time," she told him.

This took Chris by surprise. "Really?" he asked. "Why?"

"All the evil in this world…those clouds seem like the one and only place that aren't corrupted. No murder, no hate, no rules…it just is…pure? Y'know?" She looked up at him, only to find Chris staring at her in surprise.

"Yeah…" he nodded slowly. "But if you had the power to save this world one person at a time…wouldn't you do that?"

"So many people can't be saved," she said, a touch of sadness in her voice. "And sometimes it's like there's nothing left to fight for."

"There's always something to fight for," Chris insisted. "The future, family, friends. The people we know, but know nothing about yet, who we could know if we tried. This world. If people just gave into evil, where would we be?"

"That's true," Allison admitted. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure,"

"You seem so sure of yourself. It's different. Am I seeing the real Chris Halliwell?" she asked inquisitively.

"Well…what do you see?" he asked.

She paused before answering. "A good person." They stopped walking. Allison stood before Chris. "The world needs people like you."

Chris found himself lost for words, and lost in Allison's eyes. "Do you believe in destiny?" he asked quietly.

"I believe everything happens for a reason," she replied cautiously. "Whether we understand those reasons or not. But every choice we make, every event and how we choose to act from that defines us. Even the little things. That's what separates good from evil. Those little choices and how we read people makes it easier to sort between the two. That's what I believe."

Chris listened intently, admiring the wisdom Allison held for a girl of their age. "What happened to you?" he asked quietly.

Allison blinked and looked away, breaking the spell between them. "I'm sorry," she murmured. Before Chris could stop her, Allison turned on her heel and ran off.

"Dammit!" he exclaimed, angry at himself for letting this happen. He lingered for a moment, torn what to do. But before his head had decided, Chris's heart had taken charge, and he found himself running after Allison.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

The rain began to fall slowly at first, but then it began hammering down to the ground, echoing the rate of Chris' own heart as he sprinted down the suddenly empty street. In less than a minute his clothes stuck to his body and his hair plastered to his head. But it didn't matter, because the only thought that ran through his mind was to find Allison.

But the rain was falling so thickly it was difficult to make anything out. Chris didn't completely understand the urgency but he knew he had to find her. His question had upset her, he knew that much. And maybe, just maybe, if he could find out what had happened to Allison, it would bring down the wall she kept up around herself to keep people out. The way Chris saw it, people knew Allison's name, and yet no one really knew who she was exactly.

Chris slowed down, realising he stood no chance of finding anyone in this, let alone Allison, who clearly didn't want to be found. He stood still, and closed his eyes, listening intently to the wind, and his heart. Once Chris sensed Allison's location he followed the feeling in his gut, and disappeared in a swirl of white orbs. He made sure to orb in out of sight so as not to startle her. He appeared behind a tree and then jogged to catch up with the girl who had turned his world upside down. "Allison!" he called. "Wait!"

She wheeled around to face him, and Chris saw she'd been crying underneath the raindrops that fell upon her face. "What do you want Chris?" she demanded.

"Why did you run?" he shot back, raising his voice to be heard over the cracks of thunder. It broke his heart that Allison was upset like this, but what struck him even harder was her resistance to open up and let him in. "Just as you start talking to me about how you feel about stuff - !"

"I hardly know you!" she cried incredulously.

"But it was your choice to walk with me! You could've turned me down, told me to go away!"

"Why do you even care? Really?" she asked.

"Because you're a good person too, Allison." he said softly. "And for some reason you've shielded your heart against the world, and I wanna know why." he admitted. "I really do care about you."

The rain chose this moment to slow down, calming Allison at the same time. "There's something about you, Chris," she said slowly. "That I know I can trust. And that makes me want to tell you. But that scares me to death."

"You don't have to," Chris told her.

"I want to. It's about time I told someone," Allison said, starting at a slow walk, Chris right beside her. She took his hand for support, which he could feel she held onto as if she were clinging on to dear life. Chris felt a shiver run through him as their skin touched, and he knew that he too never wanted to let go. "I feel like half my life went by and I wasn't even looking at it. Until that day…and everything stopped. I can still remember like it only just happened." Chris watched Allison's face and saw her go back in time to the day that haunted her dreams and memories. "It happened a few years ago…it was just like any other Saturday morning. I'd stayed the night at a friends house, and I came back the next morning, but later than I'd promised. I was worried because my mom had told me she wanted to take us shopping." Her eyes filled with tears. "I found them…they'd been murdered." Tears rolled down her cheeks. "There was no sign of anyone breaking in…no leads…even with a really weird symbol marked on the wall! Like a signature… But there was nothing. They never caught the person who did it. My parents died and I couldn't even get them justice." As Allison finished, she was sobbing, but was determined to share her story that she'd kept secret from the world for so long.

"I'm so sorry," Chris whispered. Allison wept until she had no energy left, and Chris did the only thing he could do: he held her close, and silently swore to himself he would never let anybody harm Allison ever again…

To be continued….

**(I just wanted to say thank you for R&R-ing, it means a lot! And I decided to put a 'to be continued' cause I thought that could end there! but oh no, I have a lot more planned to come mwhaha! **

**Until next chapter, thanks for reading)**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

Allison wiped her eyes after a few minutes of standing in the dying rain with Chris, but she made no move to leave his caring grasp. She looked up at him though, and Chris looked down upon her. Allison knew that she didn't want to get this close to someone, anyone, even if they were as sweet and as genuine a person as Chris Halliwell. It was a decision for her that she didn't make lightly, but for the greater good. That to keep a wall around her heart meant that no one she ever loved could get hurt again, because of her. And yet she couldn't stop herself from falling into Chris' eyes. She experienced a feeling like falling, that made her feel horrifically sad and wondrously happy at exactly the same time. The emotions that suddenly overtook her heart were like fireworks. That magnetic feeling made her lose control for a short moment, and she found herself moving even closer to Chris, and their lips met, softly at first, but then with a fiery passion. Chris felt the emotions she did too, but within the kiss he felt something else. Desperation? Almost like a need to be close to another human being? As suddenly as it had started, the kiss was over, and Allison broke away. "I'm sorry," she breathed.

"Allison…" Chris began.

"Please just forget about it, Chris." She told him. "Forget about me. It never should have happened. Don't follow me this time." She didn't say it harshly, however much she would've liked to, to keep Chris away. She left, leaving Chris standing alone, completely in shock.

Chris dwelled on what had happened the entirety of the next day, not focusing on his classes, tuning out of conversations. He knew that something wasn't right when Allison had left for the final time. He'd heard it in her voice. The pain. And he couldn't tell if she was alright back at school, because he hardly saw her. When he did she surrounded herself with friends so he couldn't get her alone. She avoided his eye in lessons, and when the bell rang she was first out the room. Chris got the message. But he was determined to talk to her, and yet she gave him no opportunity to do that. And so the week went past, slowly, and yet a blur. Chris' friend best friend Alex was worried, but knew that when it came to certain issues Chris could become incredibly tight lipped, preferring to turn things over in his head instead of sharing. He accepted that Chris could be this way, and yet he still decided to ask Chris what the problem was on the Friday lunch time. "Tell me what's going on," Alex said. "Maybe I can help?"

To Alex's surprise, Chris looked up at his best friend whom was the only person in the entire school Chris had entrusted with his secret. They'd been friends since they were young children, and their families had become fairly close. "How do you help someone who doesn't want to be helped?" Chris asked.

Alex nearly choked on his drink, surprised Chris had actually replied instead of his usual shaking of the head if ever Alex asked of his problems. Alex thought about his answer for a moment before replying. "You wait. For them to come to you. If they need help…they'll come to you. Who are we talking about, dude?" He ran his hand through his sandy brown messy hair, and waited for an answer.

Chris stayed solemnly quiet but his eyes darted unconsciously to Allison, sitting with her friends on the other side of the cafeteria. She sat quietly looking at her food as life went on around her. One of the beauties of having a heap of friends, Chris thought. There was so many of them that if one was quiet it didn't matter because there was enough hubbub anyway. Alex followed his gaze, glancing behind him. Immediately seeing who Chris was staring at, Alex shook his head. "Give up, man." he said. Alex knew of Chris's long held crush on Allison. But it was well known she generally kept herself to herself. "What makes you think she needs help?" he asked, curious.

Chris lowered his gaze to his sandwich. "Just a hunch," Chris said, not willing to go into detail, or divulge Allison's secret anymore than he needed to. "More of a gut feeling. It may sound strange…but I can see something in her. Something different. Special." He smiled.

Alex raised his eyebrows. "Sounds like someone's dealing with the 'l' word," he said. Chris looked Alex in the eye, all seriousness disappearing. "Oh, and you would know?" he laughed.

"You've been thinking about her all week. Don't think I haven't noticed you zoning out. Or staring at her either."

"I haven't…!" Chris answered hastily. "It's called 'glancing'. Just…a lot. There's a difference between that and staring. I'm worried about her."

"Look, Chris, I know you don't have to explain yourself to me all the time, but you need to get a life. Do other things. Come bowling with me tomorrow night!"

"I can't…"Chris began.

"And don't even try and get out of it, you're never doing anything else."

Chris sighed. "Fine! Ok, I'll come, are you happy now?"

"Yes," Alex replied happily, sliding back in his chair.

Saturday night arrived quickly, and Chris met Alex outside where it was already getting crowded with students. The music pumped loudly from indoors, with a constant crashing of pins echoing out to where they stood. It was chilly, and Chris had his arms crossed over his chest to keep warm over his light green jacket. "I can't stay long," Alex told him as he approached. "I'm on the verge of being grounded as it is without coming out here. We probably only have time for the arcades."

Chris rolled his eyes. "And there was me thinking we'd make a night of it(!)"

The pair entered the bowling alley and made their way to arcades. "You go ahead, I'll get us some drinks." Chris said. Alex hurried off to queue for the car racing simulators. Chris waited patiently for his turn to order, and surveyed his surrounding as he did so. A group in the corner of the alleys caught his eye, and it took him a moment to recognise it as Allison's friends, and sure enough there she was, right in the middle of them, seemingly having a good time. As he waited he continued to watch them out the corner of his eye. It was already quite late, and at ten o' clock, some of her friends were leaving already. Just as Chris got to the counter he saw Allison pick up her jacket and begin to head to the other counter alone to return the bowling shoes. Chris jumped at this chance to speak to her, and turned and sped of to find Alex in the midst of the arcade games, and after running round frantically for about a minute to find him and tell him he had to go quickly, he saw Alex completely absorbed in a shooting game where a crowd had gathered to watch the pro at work. Chris gave up, figuring he wouldn't be missed, and rushed to the exit. He went out the swing doors and looked around, thinking he'd missed Allison. Finally he spied her just about to turn a corner in front of a huge group of rowdy teenagers. He wove around them and touched her arm gently to aware her of his presence. She jumped, expecting one of the group behind them to start getting clever. Seeing Chris, her shoulders relaxed slightly as she ceased walking.

"Hi," he said.

"Hey," she replied awkwardly.

"How are you?" he asked, as the group passed them, thankfully completely ignoring the duo.

"Ok, getting on with things, you know." she said, deliberately trying not to lead the conversation anywhere too deep. "I really have to go…" she told him, starting off again.

"Allison!" he said quickly. "Wait. Please."

She stopped.

"I need to talk to you."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

"Can I walk with you?" Chris asked.

Allison paused for a moment before nodding. They walked again as they had done a week previously. "I was wondering if you were okay." Chris said tentatively.

"I'm fine," Allison replied.

"Look, you can either keep telling yourself that, or accept that you're not!" Chris said heatedly.

"But how can you know?!" she demanded, turning to face him angrily.

"Because I can see you. Who you really are. The part of you that you hide away from the rest of the world. And I think that scares you to death."

"You know what, Chris? Maybe you're right. But it doesn't have to mean anything."

"Of course it does. You're meant for great things in this world, Allison. And maybe you need to find some way of coming to terms with your parents deaths in order to move on. Because if you don't, you can spend your entire life in this void, where nothing and no one matters anymore because justice was not done to their killer." He told her.

"You speak like you know from experience," Allison replied quietly, taking in fully what Chris had just said.

"Believe me when I say you don't want to know some of things I've seen," he said sadly. Allison stopped walking and could tell by the pained look on Chris's face he spoke nothing but the truth. "And I care about you to much to stand by and watch you slowly destroy yourself with grief. It's subtle, but it's there. You shield yourself from the pain by closing yourself off. But that can be dangerous. Before long that need for justice can consume you completely. I told you before, there are good people in this world. But there are bad people too. Good and evil. But sometimes the borders become blurred. Black and white turns to grey. I don't want to see that happen to you."

"It won't," Allison said softly. "And like I could ever find their killer anyway" she added bitterly.

"See that's what I mean, this attitude!" Chris exclaimed as they continued walking, cutting down a side alley.

"You know what Chris, so what if I'd like my parents to have justice. Who wouldn't? And what's so wrong with protecting myself from having my world torn apart again? I was a wreck for months after they died."

"Because letting people in means that you learn to do anything to protect them -"

"How sweet," came a growling voice behind them. Chris and Allison froze and turned slowly about. Emerging from the shadows was a tall man with dark hair, wearing complete black, a long billowing coat stretching down to his knees, making him look all the more menacing. He had an ugly, twisted, smug smile across his face. "The new little Whitelighter's out for a walk with his new little charge." He faced Allison. "Haven't you grown?"

"Leave her alone!" Chris demanded. "Allison, run!" he yelled. Before Chris could do anything else, the man raised his hand, where out of no-where, a small gathering of black orbs materialised, and out of them appeared a bow and arrow. Allison stumbled backwards and hid behind a dumpster, watching, scared but curious.

Chris shot his arm out, pointing his fingers out at the new threat. The Darklighter was thrown backwards like some invisible force had hit him and sent him flying. "You won't stop me, newbie." the unknown man spat, getting to his feet. "A little telekinesis? That's nothing." he strode over a few steps and knocked Chris is the face with the bow, knocking him to the ground.

"Have you forgotten what family you'll be messing with?" Chris asked weakly.

"Yeah," the Darklighter said, his harsh voice slicing through the darkness. "One that'll soon be broken."

Chris looked into the Darklighter's eyes as the bow and arrow were lowered…and he shot him in the stomach.

TO BE CONTINUED….


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you for all the reviews so far, and it was drawn to my attention this chapter is underlined, but on the actual file itself it isn't underlined, so I'm assuming it's some kind of error somewhere, and I don't know how to get rid of it, if it isn't on the original document itself. So apologies there, but there's nothing I can do, so I hope you can still enjoy the chapter : )**

Chapter 7:

Chris flowed in and out of consciousness and was only vaguely aware of the Darklighter leaving. He felt movement at his side and opened his eyes to see Allison knelt over him, tears in her eyes. "Chris…" she whispered, stroking his hair out his eyes, and supporting his head with her hand. "Just hold on, okay? I'm going to try and find help."

"No time…" he choked. Chris saw only two possible ways out of this situation, neither possibilities exactly promising to end well: either try and get Allison to support him and get home on foot, or use the very last of his energies to Orb himself and Allison to safety at the Manor, where he could be healed. If they got back in time that is. And he had to move fast if he didn't want to risk the Darklighter coming back. He thought it through quickly and realised he'd probably be dead very quickly if they attempted to move on foot. Even though he knew that it was dangerous risking his identity to Allison, Orbing was his only alternative if they were to both get out of this alive. "Allison…" he said, breathing heavily with the pain. "Take my hand."

She took it in a split second, and Chris could feel her grip tight in his palm. "What is it?" she asked desperately. "You need help Chris, you're bleeding!" she said through her tears. 

"I know," he replied. "Trust me. It'll be okay. I'm gonna get us out of this. We don't have much time before I can't…Just don't let go of my hand, okay?"

"I won't," Allison promised. What happened next would stay with Allison the rest of her life. She felt her body almost dissolve, and all she could see was a shower of white sparkles surrounding them. A moment later, the piercing light was gone, and they were in a living room in a strange house. Chris was lying on a sofa, and she was knelt beside him on the floor, still grasping his hand. "What on earth…?" she whispered, in shock. The sound of Chris's voice knocked her from her stupor. 

"Allison!" he croaked. "I'll explain later, but right now, I need you to shout for my Aunt Paige. Please, she's the only person who can help me."

"Chris, I don't understand -"

"Please, just do it Allison, I need you to do this. Just yell her name, please."

"Paige!" Allison yelled. "Help! Someone!"

There was a sound of feet crashing down the stairs of the Manor, and skidding into the room was Paige Matthews-Mitchell, Chris' aunt, and Piper Halliwell, Chris's mother. They took in the sight before them, and slightly puzzled at seeing a strange teenage girl standing in their living room. Then they saw Chris. Allison moved out the way, as Piper rushed to her sons side. "Oh my god, Chris!" Piper cried. "What happened?"

"Darklighter." Chris whispered weakly, his strength leaving him quickly after the energy of Orbing. "Took us by surprise." Piper lowered her gaze to Chris's stomach and saw the arrow protruding. "I'm sorry honey, this is gonna hurt." she warned him, bracing herself as she removed the arrow, throwing it across the room out of harms way. "Paige, do your stuff!" Piper instructed her sister, who needed no telling as Piper moved out the way.

Allison watched in amazement as Chris's aunt placed her hands over his wound. Her hands seemed to glow, and a minute later the blood and the wound itself had vanished, completely healed. "Woah, that arrow must've been caked in poison." Paige said. "It doesn't usually take that long to heal." Chris sat up and gave his aunt a hug. "Thanks," he said gratefully into her shoulder. Piper practically knocked Paige out the way as she clung to her son.

"Mom, I'm alright." he said.

Piper looked at her son as she released him. "You should be more careful," she said sadly. "There are some bad-ass creatures out there."

"Ahem,"

Everyone seemed to have forgotten the presence of Allison, who was looking a little confused, shocked, and sick at the same time. "Could someone tell me what the hell just happened?" she asked.

"And this would be…?" Piper asked, looking at Chris.

"Mom, this is Allison."

"Oh…" Piper paused and her eyes widened. "Does she…Y'know…know?"

Chris shook his head. "Allison, there's some things I should tell you. Maybe you should sit?" he asked politely, gesturing to the sofa. Allison welcomed the offer of a seat as she thought her legs were close to giving out beneath her.

"Do you want us to stay for this?" Paige asked.

"I can stay, Paige, you can get home to Henry and the kids. You did only pop over for a chat anyway, they're probably wondering where you are." Piper said.

"Okay," Paige mock sulked. "This could've been fun," she grinned. "Stay away from arrows dude," she said to Chris. She gave Piper a hug, and said a "Nice to meet you." to Allison. She waved as she left the room and they heard the front door close. 

Piper sat down next to Chris opposite Allison.

"You're probably really confused…" Chris started. "And wondering what the hell's going on."

Allison nodded. "Something like that anyway," she replied.

"There's probably not gonna be an easy way to break it to you," he told her. "But all you saw…it was magic. We're witches."

Allison's eyes widening spoke enough for her reply. "You're…you're what?" she whispered.

"We're witches. Our family. For generations we've been given the task of protecting the innocent from evil beings. Like that Darklighter back in the alley."

Piper's head whipped round to face her son. "You were in an alley?!" she repeated. "Have you not learn anything? Alley's are red zones! To be avoided!"

"I know mom, but I was kind of preoccupied," he told her, raising his eyebrows is Allison's direction. 

"Hmf!" Was Piper's reply, but she let him continue.

"What's a Darklighter?" Allison asked, clearing her throat, taking everything in.

"Well, before I answer that so it's easier to understand…Darklighters are these evil guys that carry bows and arrows tipped with poison…and go after what are called Whitelighters, or future Whitelighter's, or just ordinary witches. Now Whitelighters are angels…So Darklighter's are like the complete polar opposite of a Whitelighter. Their mission is to kill or try and divert people off their course of destiny to prevent them from becoming an angel when they die., or kill the Whitelighter watching over them that keeps them on the right path."

"So…why did he attack us?" Allison asked.

"(She's asking good questions,)" Piper commentatingly whispered.

"Mom, could you please…?" Chris asked, indicating Piper leave them be. Piper left them alone to their talk of truths.

"Here's the bit you may find hard to swallow…" Chris said, bracing himself for whatever Allison's response may be. "I'm not just a witch…I'm half Whitelighter. Or Angel - however you'd rather think of it. Anyway, the reason it attacked is because you're my charge that I have to watch over, guide and protect."

Allison looked at her feet and said nothing as she absorbed all this new information. After a long pause, she managed to say: "How come you never said anything?" she looked up, and her eyes met Chris'. He could not look away. 

"It's not exactly something you broadcast," he admitted. "The risk of exposure…bad things start to happen. No one can know about us, our powers, what we do. You can't tell anyone, okay? Cause if people found out, we could have our powers taken off us, and then bam, evil has taken over the world before you know it."

"I can't believe you live with this secret…" Allison said.

"I guess we all have them." Chris said with a small smile. "So…you're cool?" he asked. 

"Yeah…But, what now? I mean, that guy's still out there. People could get hurt. What do we do?"

Chris rose from his seat, and stepped towards Allison. "That brings us to the next thing. Let me show you something." he said, standing before her. He held out his hand. She took it, ready to face whatever was thrown at them next.


End file.
